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One SA Schools’ player and one second team player of 2023 to make their first-class debuts in SA Cup

By Hannes Nienaber , in Featured | Main Rugby | Featured Rugby | News , at 2024-04-05 Tags: , ,

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – AUGUST 15: Christiaan van der Westhuizen of South Africa during the U18 International Series match between South Africa and France at Stellenberg High School on August 15, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Shaun Roy/Gallo Images)

A unique situation will be play out in the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Friday evening.

Two matriculants of 2023 – Christiaan van der Westhuizen and Arno van der Merwe – will make their first-class debuts for the Cheetahs against the Pumas in the SA Cup match, which kicks off at 18:00.

Both players are still 18 years old and finished their schooling careers last year at Grey College.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport.

Van der Westhuizen represented the 2023 South African Schools side at scrumhalf, while Van der Merwe played lock for Grey College’s second-stringers, the Cherries.

Van der Westhuizen will celebrate his 19th birthday on 28 April, while Van der Merwe turns 19 on 9 May.

Van der Westhuizen will get an opportunity off the bench. The first-choice scrumhalf for the game, Marco Janse van Vuren (Transvalia), represented the SA Schools side in 2013 and 2014.

Ruben de Haas, who has been capped at scrumhalf by the USA national team, is also on the Cheetahs’ bench. De Haas is the son of 1986 SA Schools’ flyhalf Pieter de Haas, who also ran out for Transvaal and the Valke at 10 and 12.

Another interesting call-up for the Cheetahs is that of Kevin Stevens, who retired from rugby in 2018. He has been a full-time broker for the last six years.

The 37-year-old matriculated in 2005 from Grey College,co-incidentally the same year that Van der Westhuizen and Van der Merwe were born. Stevens represented the Free State at the Craven Week of 2005. His intentions to retire from the game first happened in 2023, but the Cheetahs brought him in for the Vodacom Cup of 2014.

TEAMS 

Cheetahs: 15 Banie Britz (Grey College), 14 S’bu Nkosi (Jeppe High School for Boys), 13 Gert Steyn (Grey College), 12 Luke Carew (Paarl Boys’ High), 11 Rethabile Mzamo (), 10 James Verity-Amm (Hottentots-Holland), 9 Marco Janse van Vuren (Transvalia), 8 Sisonke Vumazonke (Grey College), 7 Ulrich Stander (Welkom Gimnasium), 6 Andisa Ntsila (Queen’s College), 5 Thabang Mahlasi (Drie Riviere), 4 Arno van der Merwe (Grey College), 3 Justin Forwood (Waterkloof), 2 Vernon Paulo (Oakdale Landbou), 1 Cameron Dawson (Paul Roos Gimnasium). Replacements: 16 Nick Greyling (Grey College), 17 Kevin Stevens (Grey College), 18 Marco Conradie (Oakdale Landbou), 19 Andries Burger (), 20 Niel Venter (Paarl Boys’ High), 21 Christiaan van der Westhuizen (Grey College), 22 Ruben de Haas (Jessieville), 23 Marcey de Waal (Monument).

Pumas: 15 Tino Swanepoel (Florida), 14 Stefan Coetzee (Namakwaland), 13 Theunis Pretorius (Waterkloof), 12 Wian van Niekerk (Paarl Gimnasium), 11 Phiko Sobahle (Northwood), 10 Clinton Swart (Paarl Boys’ High), 9 Ross Braude (Grey College), 8 Kwanda Dimaza (Dale College), 7 Ruwald van der Merwe (Hoërskool Rustenburg), 6 Jaco Labuschagne (Affies), 5 Shane Kirkwood (Marais Viljoen – captain), 4 Jeandré Leonard (Garsfontein), 3 Sampie Swiegers (Empangeni), 2 Llewellyn Classen (Pretoria Boys’ High), 1 Dewald Maritz (Hoërskool Nelspruit). Replacements: 16 Darnell Osuagwu (Parktown Boys’ High), 17 Etienne Janeke (Nico Malan), 18 Munashe Mhere (Paarl Boys’ High), 19 Tiaan de Klerk (Monument), 20 Anele Lungisa (Molly Blackburn Secondary), 21 Giovan Snyman (Waterkloof), 22 Gene Willemse (Oakdale Landbou), 23 Lundi Msenge (Worcester Gimnasium).

Hannes Nienaber
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.